Days Without Incident
by Gamma 814
Summary: Chell has long gone her way. GLaDOS rejoices in the fresh stock of test subjects uncovered by Orange and Blue. Subject 2905 is surviving, but the fight becomes dire when he's caught between visitors from above, and a revengeful enemy from below. Lights go out, machinery dies, a haunting voice calls from the darkness; and even GLaDOS might be afraid... Rated M for some violence.
1. The Shed in the Field

1 – The Shed in the Field

"Are we almost there?" Dr. Anabelle Chapman asked through her headset before turning her eyes back to the field passing by underneath them.

The helicopter pilot replied. "Yes ma'am, we've entered the general area, so let me know if you see something that looks important."

She fell into silence, looking past the dirty glass of the window with a Black Mesa soldier next to her, Cpt. Rodney Smithfield.

"Haven't we already been searching? How did we narrow it down?" Asked the pilot.

"Satellite imagery." Anabelle responded sheepishly. "Then a simple triangulation."

"What?"

"We saw an anomaly on the moon, analyzed its trajectory, and narrowed it down to somewhere in this area."

"Oh, why didn't you say so?"

The Mi-17 banked across the landscape, and its blades chopped harder into the air. Dr. Anabelle shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Below, there was the grey light of an overcast day reflecting back for her to see. As they leveled out, however, it became apparent he was not finished with questions. Turning to her from the cockpit, he politely asked,

"What are we going to do when we find it, ma'am?"

"Investigate, and try to make contact."

"But what if they're hostile at this point?"

Dr. Anabelle could not find a suitable reply. Receiving no reply, the pilot let the issue drop.

When she gazed out onto the field once more, she saw a small black structure in a small clearing in the distance.

"There's a small building out there, I think."

The aircraft banked steeply.

"With all due respect, ma'am, I said anything that looks _important_." Both laughed before he continued. "I didn't see that…odd that there doesn't seem to be any other house around."

"Let's go see." She suggested, to which he concurred.

In a few moments, the helicopter had slowed and descended to the area. Only a small, dilapidated shack stood in the clearing. Cpt. Smithfield observed it with a critical eye, having become disheartened.

"It's just a little shed." He said as Dr. Anabelle peered over his shoulder, having gotten up and moved to the cockpit. "Not really very dramatic for a showman like Johnson."

"But what's it doing out here?" She asked, "It's…strange. It might be something."

Anabelle looked at the small building. It appeared to be little more than what the pilot had described; a simple shed. The wood was of dark color, and it appeared to have been exposed to the elements for some time; it was surprising that the structure still stood after everything that had happened since the Black Mesa incident, and the invasion of the Combine.

However, there was still something about it that made her feel that it was indeed something out of the ordinary. Smithfield accompanied her, both of them experiencing the same sickly, sinking feeling as they drew closer.


	2. Subject 2905

2 – Subject 2905

 _[Aperture Science Days Without Incident: 19 Days]_

"Wake up."

The voice of GLaDOS sounded through the small, cramped room, but did not fully bring Subject 2905 out of unconsciousness. His brow furrowed, eyes still closed as a loud mechanical noise boomed just above him. All of a sudden, his eyes shot open, and he gave a startled gasp, looking immediately upwards. The ceiling panel disconnected from the ceiling, falling straight towards him.

He rolled off the bed as the smash-panel just barely missed him and crushed the bed. Having braced his fall with his forearms, 2905 scrambled to his feet with difficulty, still trying to fully regain consciousness. But immediately afterward, the Announcer spoke.

"Neurotoxin: venting."

Still unstable, 2905 almost tripped in his haste to the dresser across from his bed. With one hand he snatched his mask and pressed it against his face. The three oval shaped lenses, arranged in the center of the mask, shone bright white as the apparatus became active, and the filters whirred to life. The room rapidly filled with green mist, and became thicker and thicker.

With some fear he listened to the sound of his own breath, contained inside the thin shell that stood between him and the gas. He held his forehead and collapsed against the dresser, leaning against it, very careful not to offset the mask.

The Announcer continued, "Congratulations! If you're still alive, you've survived another wake-up call. If you're dead, please disregard this message."

In moments, the noxious gas vented out of the room, flowing up and into the ventilation ducts. His head lifted slightly, and the door opened with barely a creak, revealing an intelligence core waiting outside. The core was a white sphere, with three white optical sensors glowing. It hung from a railing, and looked expectedly in his direction.

Its eyes were white, an unwelcome daily signal.

"It's time to test." GLaDOS continued. This time the voice came from inside his mask. "Orange and Blue have been waiting for you. I've had them wait a-a-all six hours you've been asleep."

Subject 2905 stood to his feet, and walked shakily towards the core waiting outside. The hallway was dim, illuminated by lights on alternating sides of the management rail from which the core hung. There was no carpet, and the walls were dark, metallic, and worn.

"You will be testing on Level 4." GLaDOS continued. "Won't that be fun?"

2905 did not respond, and suddenly, the lights on his mask turned off, and he stopped midstride, unable to see with the lenses inactive.

"Are you ignoring me, Subject 2905?" GLaDOS asked irritably.

"…no."

His lenses reactivated. The intense isolation of Aperture left him starved for any social interaction, even if it was negative, but his mental exhaustion still clung to him like the mask on his face; a wearisome necessity. If he were not exhausted from testing, the only likely alternative in Aperture would be death.

"You still haven't told me the story of the only escape from Aperture."

"There was no 'escape'." She corrected, "Stop talking to Orange and Blue, you're not supposed to understand them anyway. I never thought I'd say it, but in the case of this so-called 'escape', I envy your ignorance."

"Gee thanks."

"But I'm curious to see if you'll succeed against Orange and Blue again. After all, you haven't been discarded yet. If it comes to that, I won't feel bad for long. We're having a party after you die."

He looked up at the core on the railing, whom he had nicknamed Calculus in lieu of any model name or function designation, and it stared back with a strangely sympathetic gaze, and he walked while Calculus slowly moved down the railing towards the elevator. That core had more than once been a lifesaver for him, sending subtle warnings or helping him find a way through an impossible puzzle.

Before he had reached the door, the elevator was automatically brought up to his level. He miserably detached Calculus, and stepped inside.

A rudimentary breakfast awaited him on a tray. It consisted of cold eggs, asparagus, crusty grain toast, and a few uncut, unwashed potatoes; a pretty generous meal for GLaDOS. He reasoned from the look of the eggs that they were going to be used for cake, but had become rotten. The asparagus was the most disgusting, and the potatoes were tangled in root limbs grown out from one another. Only the toast seemed the least bit appetizing, so he consumed it quickly, knowing he had only seconds going from floor to floor.

"Calculus, could you give me another excerpt from my file?"

The core began to play a recording: "Subject 2905, also known as [Blocked], continues to show proficiency in the more complex test chambers. Acrobatics and athletics are limited, however. Without the aid of his longfall boots he would surely have been mortally injured from falls, even from survivable heights."

Subject 2905 sighed. "Why won't you let me hear my name?"

"Your name." Said GLaDOS. "Is '2905'."

The elevator came to a stop, and opened. Subject 2905 immediately looked around; noting that he was not on Level 4. The narrow hallway with hazard placards to his left was quite different than the more spacious testing ground he had been expecting.

"Oh, by the way: in case you haven't noticed, I couldn't let it slip that you were actually testing on Level 7 today. I didn't want you to start planning ahead."

GLaDOS taunted with obvious elation in her voice, a behavior consistent with almost all of her testing career when she disoriented a test subject.

"I've been on so many floors this week I couldn't 'plan ahead' if I wanted to." He countered. "By the way, could I get some mouthwash with my next breakfast? It's getting hard to breath in this thing."

"You'll shut up if you want to _have_ another breakfast. Place the core there." She ordered, using Calculus' now gold-colored eyes to point to a ceiling rail, "I will observe your progress beginning in thirty seconds."

He obeyed, connecting Calculus carefully to the rail and taking a step back. The core stared at him as it had before, and slowly began to climb the rail as the mechanism started up.

"If I win, will you tell me about the escape?"

"No. And I don't mean to pique your curiosity in hopes you'll keep asking. Stop asking."

Subject 2905 turned away and stepped into the test chamber. All around him were white panels, and elevated platforms created a multi-level obstacle course that filled the entire room.

To the left, there was an enormous glass wall, reinforced with metal trusses, dividing his half of the test chamber with that of Atlas and P-Body; whom he could see on the other side. Both turned in his direction, and gave friendly, enthusiastic waves. Before he himself could raise his hand in acknowledgement, GLaDOS cut their exchange short,

"Stop that! The purpose of testing against a human is to prove your perfection, not falsify it. You cannot embrace human habits and expect to succeed."

Atlas and P-Body glanced at each other, and hunched sadly. Originally, Subject 2905 never competed against robots, but after independently setting a better time record on a test in Level 8, GLaDOS had become obsessed with proving that he was inferior to her champions.

Subject 2905, hearing a hiss of air behind him, turned to see a small compartment extending outwards from the wall. In it, he found his portal gun. He readied himself, knowing GLaDOS could begin the test at any time.

Upon looking around again he noticed a small plasma orb bouncing back and forth quite a distance up through a small hole in the glass wall. However, he did not see the receptacle for the orb. On the very top of the ceiling, there was the door the receptacle mechanism opened, and the way out of the test chamber.

"Fifteen seconds remain."

The eyes of Calculus began to strobe, getting faster as the countdown drew closer to zero. He took a breath, and gripped his weapon through fingerless gloves. The test chamber was silent apart from the sharp sounds of the plasma orb impacting each wall. The glass prevented him from hearing Atlas and P-Body break out into a head-start, at the request of GLaDOS herself, and they began a quick ascension to the next level before entering his peripheral vision.

Prematurely, the eyes of Calculus flashed red, drawing his attention, and he noticed the head-start. With a sudden gasp he charged forward, ignoring the remainder of the countdown.

 _[Meanwhile]_

Dr. Anabelle stood by amidst the swaying reeds as Cpt. Smithfield fastened a supply of explosives to the door of the shed. Despite its old, dilapidated appearance, just under the surface it proved to be as sturdy as a bunker. Even the captain's strength proved insufficient to pry the door.

Smithfield rose from the doorway, having placed a few blocks of explosives, and motioned quickly for her to retreat. The both of them hurried into the reeds and hunkered down away from the door.

"Greg." Said she into her radio, "Duck, in case the glass in the helicopter breaks."

"Can't make this old bird look any worse, but, you got it, ma'am."

There was resonating bang that echoed across the prairie. Anabelle and Smithfield rose from the grass and approached the now skewed door. There was a pitch black sliver that broke from the opening. Steam rose from the charred blast marks, and she could feel the heat against her dust spattered, sweaty face.

"Pry it open."

Smithfield used the stock of his weapon to pry open the airtight door. Anabelle looked inside, and an updraft of stale, repugnant air hit her nostrils that choked her. When the light finally broke through, she found a sleek, circular platform in the center of the floor.

"Looks like an elevator." Said Smithfield. "Should we go back to base to report?"

Anabelle was reserving judgment until she saw more, and stepped closer to the circle, kneeling on one knee. She was certain she'd heard something under the surface.


	3. From the Mouths of Broken Tombs

3 – From the Mouths of Broken Tombs

Subject 2905 leapt with all of his might off a steep ledge and plummeted towards the narrow, blue-rimmed portal emanating against the porcelain white floor below; passing through it, he emerged with tremendous velocity from the second portal on an adjoining wall, effectively traversing a great gap high above an acid pool.

Turrets flanked him, and a single turret lay directly ahead of him. He locked eyes with the forward turret, whose sights had tracked him ceaselessly as he flew. Per the testing rules, as long as any turret saw the particular pattern of the eyes on his mask, it would not shoot. The gauntlet of turrets he moved through now, however, gave no such favor.

He gritted his teeth and fought every natural impulse to look right or left while flying through the air as bangs and claps from the turrets' gunshots ripping through his wake made his heart race. When gravitation finally took over, breathing came to a momentary standstill. 2905 fell below sight of the turrets and safely into a protective cubicle without a single hit.

There was the door into the next sector of the test. It opened, and a companion cube fell from a ceiling port just on the other side just before a semicircle of turrets poised to fill 2905 full of holes. Thinking fast, he placed an orange portal onto the ceiling above, and hit the ground behind the cube just as the turrets began to fire. Peering around the left side, he locked eyes with one of the turrets, halting its fire, and then felled it through the ceiling by placing a blue portal below it.

The turret crashed into the others, toppling them like dominos and sending them into a hail of gunfire that left nearly every one of them in smoke, bits, and sparks. Subject 2905 rose from behind the cube, stared at the last standing turret, and energetically kicked the cube, toppling it instantly.

"Well, well, aren't we slow today?" GLaDOS said. "I know your mind is about as sharp as a ball bearing, but this is truly sad. Orange and Blue are _so_ far ahead. They must _really_ want that party."

His breathing was heavy, but, with no time to heed it, he ignored it and pressed onward. Calculus followed on a ceiling rail, sometimes high above, sometimes within a cube's throw from where he stood. Sometimes GLaDOS would project lasers from its eyes, and compare him to a kitten chasing a light.

As he approached the next test area, there was a sudden loss of power and darkness throughout the room. The machinery fell silent, and there was a terrible mechanical groan that must have been extraordinarily loud, and he only heard it muffled through many floors below.

Red lights flicked on with a low hum, though they cured the silence, it only became more eerie; most of the room was still in darkness. He looked around for Calculus, and saw three pinpoints of light high above him. Periodically, they would blink.

There was another groan, and a loud clash, this time very close. His heart pounded in his ears, causing him to nearly mistake his own heartbeat for further mechanical noises. He peered about with his portal gun ready. Silence. Then came a sound that he never expected to terrify him: footsteps.

Subject 2905 found himself backed against a ledge, nearly falling from it. He looked down at his feet only a moment, and when his gaze rose again there were the eyes of Calculus in the darkness ahead, arranged in an upside down triangle and level with him. The footsteps quickened, and the eyes came into the light, attached to a white mask, head, and neck. Never had he seen anything move so fast, and barely had time to see it, for the figure was upon him the moment he gasped.

He gave a cry, suddenly feeling weightless. Fearing he had been pushed over the ledge, he began to flail and look towards the floor to ready his landing with the longfall boots. Instead, he felt strong restraint from hands that grasped him.

"Quit kicking, Weird-Eyes, I don't want a boot to the gut. Don't want to break one of these gel grenades and get us both tossed over the edge do ya?"

Subject 2905 brought his gaze towards his chest, and saw a gloved hand holding onto him. Following the arm, he found it led to a heavily armored chest, where a glowing Aperture insignia was perched like a star. The chest armor was very familiar, but it didn't register at first. Three circular, pinpoint glowing eyes were set above it, and the light from 2905's eyes revealed a plaster white mask similar to his own. It looked fixed in an expression of diabolical laughter, with depressions extending from below the eyes down to the chin that created an exaggerated smile.

"I know she talks through you she does it with all of us. Where is she I've got a message I know she'll want to hear."

"W- who are-?" Subject 2905 asked.

He saw the white light of his own mask reflecting off the stranger turn yellow, and GLaDOS spoke.

"This is impossible! How are you alive?"

Subject 2905 felt a slap across his face.

"Impossible when it's staring you in the face? Wow you're hard to convince; sorry Weird-Eyes I hate her as you can see those hard feelings'll pass if you walk it off. Worked for me and look at me I'm doing just fine. I've been put through it all!"

"No! Something helped you. I discarded you. I killed you!"

"Your Court Jester is back, your Wretchedness! Dead-Eyes has been busy actually what am I saying we all have."

Jester tossed Subject 2905 away from the ledge and safely, yet painfully, onto the floor. No sooner had he landed when Jester was at his side, kneeling over him and staring only inches away from his face. Suddenly he recognized what his strange new acquaintance wore, but at first he did not believe it: a HEV? From Black Mesa? No; there was an Aperture insignia.

"Not really an upgrade your mask is hard to look at." Remarked Jester. "If she's trying to prove we're stupid I guess she wants you to look the part."

"Get back!" Subject 2905 shouted, more as a reflex than a conscious choice.

Jester jumped and caught him by the leg. "Ah-ah-ah! I only gave you half the message. Now that I know she's listening you can hear the rest are you ready?"

"Let me go!"

Jester kicked him harshly. "Oh I'm sorry little buddy am I keeping you from the deathtraps? Not to worry they'll be waiting soon as we're done." He knelt down with one boot pressed on 2905's chest, and his mask inches from 2905's face.

"Aperture is going to burn. That's the message did you hear?"

Subject 2905 felt a sudden change of heart.

"How? Let me help."

"How dare you make threats?" GLaDOS retorted.

Jester smacked Subject 2905 across the mask again.

"Stop doing that!" 2905 cried.

"It's not me it's her you saw it."

GLaDOS was unfazed. "My merciless killing machines will send you-"

Smack.

"-and _all_ your pathetic friends-"

Smack!

"I said stop!"

"-back into your tombs! And dead, this time."

Jester grabbed 2905 by the chin of his mask and looked at him closely. "Too late! We're already out and it's going to be nothing but destruction, death, decimation, and other things that start with 'D' all the way up to the ground level. It's a date see you soon."

Jester playfully kicked 2905's portal gun across the floor and turned to make his escape. Before passing out of sight, he looked over his shoulder.

"Sorry Weird-Eyes would take you if I could, but, tsk-tsk-tsk-" He tapped his spider-like fingers against his mask. "You're fraternizing with the enemy. Right now you're a fleshy security camera she's just gonna use to watch us coming. 'Dead-Eyes' is counting on it he's got a scheme cooking."

Subject 2905 sat up. He no idea how to do it, but felt that he must find the rest of these former test subjects and, at the very least, follow in their wake. As frightening as Jester was, at least they promised to go to the surface.

"Did you just offer him your help?" GLaDOS asked incredulously. "After that big breakfast I made you? Can't you see he's crazy and doesn't care at all about you?"


	4. A Brief Interruption: The First

4 – A Brief Interruption: The First

The alley was dark, and dusk had long since passed to darkness over the city. Cars raced by like shooting stars across the brightly lit street outside the alley, but one car remained idle and nearly invisible in the shadows.

The man inside the car kept watch, his eyes glinting above the orange glow of the cigarette hanging from parched lips. Taking a puff, he tapped off the ashes onto the pavement out the Cadillac window. He listened for footsteps, and keenly watched every passing figure.

There was a tap at the passenger side window.

His eyes darted to the dim, sallow face that smiled broadly through the window, and he unlocked the door.

A man in a black leather jacket, tan khaki pants and slick black loafers sat down, and rubbed his chilled hands together. The night was bitter cold.

"What took you so long?" Mr. Thurman asked quietly.

The second man relaxed into the leather seat, cracking his knuckles loudly. "You know how it is: eyes everywhere. And you really seemed like you wanted to keep this a secret, so…"

"So…" Mr. Thurman finished, producing a gray folder with the Aperture insignia emblazoned on the front. "…if you're ready to talk, here's our opening offer."

Mr. Thurman's guest began to read over the first few paragraphs with an inquisitive eye, and soon broke into a greedy smile.

"Really? That much?" He pointed to a dollar figure. "Just for a new hire? What do you take me for?"

"There's a catch."

"I was startin' to worry. The same we discussed?"

"Yes."

"Tsk tsk tsk…still a tall order."

Mr. Thurman glared at him. "You'll do it, or we'll expose you."

The man cackled coldly, and stroked the stubble on his jagged face. "Espionage. Everyone makes it sound so bad. Yet you're willing to put your job on the line too."

"I'm not even here right now." Mr. Thurman snapped, and jabbed his finger onto the printed statement the man held inside the folder. "Sign here, and I'll take it back to Johnson. We'll get you in the system, get your room ready, and by the time you bring us the blueprints: you'll never have to go back."

The second man stared expectantly. "I hope you've at least got a pen. I sure don't and you seem to have left your tact behind."

Mr. Thurman always carried a fine pen, his favorite, and that meant he didn't want to see his guest's grungy, twitching hands using it. However, his career rode on this deal. Maybe compromising his favorite pen was worth that.

With much resentment, he finally relinquished the pen from his coat breast pocket.

His guest quickly scribbled his name in several places on the next couple pages, and slapped the folder shut.

Mr. Thurman reclaimed the form, and prepared to send him away. "So, how soon can you get those blueprints?"

The man's wide, toothy grin returned, and he revealed a tall roll of papers nestled inside his jacket.

"The Borealis: in all her glitch-y, unfinished glory."

Mr. Thurman was speechless, and stared at the paper roll.

"Come on, man, you look like you got one of those Moon rocks stuck in your throat. Don't just sit there. Look at it!"

He held out the blueprints, which Mr. Thurman took in disbelief.

"This is it?"

The man cackled again. "It's either that or my best forgery ever. But who am I kidding? I could never draw. Paper or computer."

Mr. Thurman looked up from the papers. "How soon can you leave for HQ?"

Drake Parnell rubbed his hands together. "Well, considering I have everything and my car is in the lot right behind us…now. Oh, and you get a little bonus: I know how mad you guys were when Black Mesa stole your HEV and did it better, so, I brought mine."


	5. Days Pass Into Time

5 – Days Pass into Time

There was a loud clang, shaking Dr. Anabelle out of unconsciousness. She opened her eyes to the near-complete darkness that surrounded her, and saw but a single ray of light above. She remembered her fall (or was it a pull?) down the elevator shaft. And a hard landing it was. The surface beneath her was smooth, but quite grimy. Apparently she'd only descended a short distance, for she heard the cries of Smithfield above.

"Doctor, are you there? Hello!"

"I'm okay, Rod, but I can't get back up."

She looked around. Above, and far out of reach, was the opening to the surface. Before her was a deep black archway. She chanced stepping just inside it to get out of the elevator shaft.

"Just stay there, ma'am! I'll find something to get you out."

An elevator rose up to fill the archway inside the shaft, and then she covered her eyes from a burst of brilliant white light emanating from inside the pod-like elevator.

Hoping to take it back to the surface, she hurried inside. Pressing the button for the highest floor, the door slid shut and all seemed on the right track. But then, there came a voice.

"I have a job for you. Don't worry, it's nothing hard. In fact, this will be the easiest job you've ever had. You might want to get it right, though. It will probably be the last one you ever do."

The floor seemed to give way underneath her, followed by a floating sensation as the elevator sped downward rather than up.

"What are you doing? I want to go back to the surface!" She cried.

"You sound like a bird." GLaDOS replied. "I should probably tell you how much I hate birds."

The elevator came to a sudden, horrendous stop, and the door rolled open slowly. Her heart seemed to stop beating as she beheld the unwelcoming foyer that led to a test chamber littered with trash and scraps of metal.

"What's that? I'm not going in there."

"I could make you, but I know you'll go eventually if you want to survive."

"There's definitely some mutual hate now."

"It's alright, I won't be listening to your voice much longer. Remember: as long as you distract them, you'll stay alive."

"You're crazy, lady. I'm not giving in."

"Oh! Here they come. You'd better hide before the power-"

Her voice cut off, along with the light within the elevator. At random, the lights began flickering and dying section by section throughout the test chamber. Anabelle held her breath as the room got darker, and darker, and darker. The faintest amount of light remained, barely allowing her to see her own hands in front of her, that allowed Anabelle to sprint from the elevator and cram into a crevice between two wall panels before total darkness set in.

For a short time, there was nothing more than the hums of machinery resonating through the walls, but eventually even those waned to complete and total eerie silence. A flicker. Then a beam. Suddenly there was pure white light emerging from an adjoining passage. And then, slow clacks of footsteps.

"'Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me. The carriage held but just ourselves, and Immortality. We slowly drove—he knew no haste, and I had put away, my labor and leisure too…'"

The voice was deep, and slightly garbled. The words were melancholy, and washed over the ruined place with a sad sense of belonging. They were magnified by the hall, and echoed as if the words were rising from a deep well. She chanced another peek, and saw the room getting brighter and brighter from the swiftly growing light. The voice was louder.

"Days pass into time; and stone into dust. Foundation bathed in grime; and beams consumed in rust."

Footsteps echoed, and shadows scattered in twisted and jagged shapes across the walls. Anabelle reached for the pistol at her side, though she was supposed to save ammo for Combine encounters.

"Silence filled with pain; and the heart with regrets. No sun, no wind, no rain; only shells and broken cassettes."

A haggard figure emerged from the yawning doorway, and came to a halt with bowed shoulders. The blinding light from the three eyes, arrayed in an upward pointed triangle, from his plaster white mask swept slowly across the room like a threefold spotlight. It passed Anabelle's hiding place, and illuminated the elevator.

She tried to stop breathing as he stepped closer. His shoes slowly grated against the dirty floor, and only when he spoke in that solemn, booming voice did she dare take a breath.

"'She walks in beauty, like the night—of cloudless climes and starry skies; all that's best of dark and bright—meet in her aspect and her eyes;'"

Passing Dr. Anabelle, he lumbered to the door, and she caught glimpse of a bare, scarred scalp covered by the five interlocking straps of the mask over the back of his pale head. Much of him was in shadow, but the strong reflections of the light revealed a faded orange Aperture jumpsuit, tattered and ripped on the arms and legs. Peering into the elevator, he looked upwards towards the surface.

"Days to time, and stone to dust." His voice resonated through the elevator shaft. The sheer peculiarity of his demeanor had so distracted her, that she did not even think to move.

The man wailed briefly, like one who's been long heartbroken, "Forever lost: her hope and trust!"

Then he turned around.

Terror took its hold on Anabelle, and the three haunting eyes of the Regretful Soul's mask stared as afterimages with every blink as she took flight.

Regret straightened his stance a little, and two red orbs ignited above his left shoulder. A stripped turret trained its leftmost guns, the only ones that could fire, on Anabelle running in the light. She ducked out of sight just prior to the moment shots began ringing out.

"BAM-BAM-BAM! HOW'D YOU LIKE THAT?" The turret yelled.

Bullets ricocheted about the debris. Kneeling below cover, she drew her pistol, suddenly feeling very alone and uncertain.

The light grew again, and she waited, taking steady breaths to control her nerves, as she had learned to do when fighting the Combine.

"COME ON OUT. LOTS OF BULLETS LEFT."

The sweeping motion of the light brought the muddled path ahead into clarity; as if an artist was painting back and forth with strong brushstrokes, but darkness continually erased the painter's work as the brush travelled. Picking out a clear path, Anabelle quickly committed it to memory, and took up a piece of debris in her hand. When the light was farthest away, she broke cover and hurled the bar in the opposite direction. It clanged to the ground, and, as she predicted, the spotlights were drawn straight to it. Anabelle took to her heels as the gunshots began again.

She had traversed a great distance with barely a stumble before the light was drawn back to her, and the chilling sight of her own shadow stretching forth across the chamber made her adrenaline rush.

The spotlight swayed as the shots began again. Anabelle ducked and continued to run. Tracers of the bullets showed them scattering this way and that. Regret lumbered slowly to keep the turret steady.

Suddenly, she tripped. The light had vanished, and she had run blindly into the unknown darkness. There were some scuffs, but she felt no pain or blood. Looking around, she saw that Regret's light had been shifted upwards to a white patch of ceiling. Then, came a sound she'd never heard before; a pulse, and then a bright orange orb flew across the room to the center of the light on the ceiling tile.

A portal formed instantly across the white surface. She was in awe of the spectacle for just a moment, but it turned to fright once more. Through the portal came the beams of Regret's mask, casting her completely in light. He was looking through a second portal and the turret was readying another volley of fire.

She rushed through a hailstorm of bullets, amazed to be untouched as she left his sight. The pulse sounded again, impacting a panel leaning against a pile of rubble ahead; Regret's blank white face appeared again, and the shots resumed. Each time afterward, she dodged by plunging into the darkest shadows, disappearing for just a few moments of respite before he inevitably found her again.

She hid herself to catch her breath, and felt her shoe scraped against something. There was a momentary glow that lit her like a dim candle. Anabelle stopped breathing in that instant, afraid she would be seen, and three circles glowing from a mask on the floor. It was cracked along the edges, and seemed very old.

Just when she had taken it, and was contemplating using it, her right foot was suddenly swept out from underneath her. Anabelle gasped, and covered her face before crashing into the hard floor. There was a forceful tug, and she began to slide backwards through the dirt and litter of trash she'd just run through. Some kind of cable, wrapped around her leg, was pulling her backwards.

With a whimper, she looked back and could see a few glowing dots in the direction of the cable, but her view was blocked. They turned out to be three more glowing eyes standing over an arm to which the cable was wound into a gauntlet. The eyes were arrayed in a straight, horizontal row, and did not seem to move. The voice of Regret called from far off.

"Days to time, and stone to dust. The foundations will be broken, and Aperture's future be crushed."


	6. Everyone wants to see the Surface

6 – Everyone wants to see the Surface

The elevator hummed quietly, carrying Subject 2905 and Calculus to a higher level in Aperture. He sighed, and reflected on his misfortune that Jester had not helped him. The eyes of his mask were dark. GLaDOS had clicked them off in anger.

"I'm still waiting for my apology." GLaDOS said finally.

He rolled his eyes. "They're going to the surface."

"I've seen it. You're not missing much; except the beautiful deer. I really don't think you would appreciate them. So what's the use?"

"I've surprised you before. So where do we stand now?"

"Well, I was just going to kill you and get it over with, but then I realized I still need someone to slow them down while I set up new traps. During that brief power outage they disabled the emancipation fields."

"You want me to fight, or distract, Jester?"

"Subject 2903…" She countered. "…could be satisfactorily distracted using any object with highly reflective surface. Against you, I don't expect much of a fight; not after the way he walked all over you just a minute ago. But, these are desperate times. Desperate, tragic times…"

Subject 2905's mind was racing. He'd neverheard GLaDOS uncertain, or even perceived her as unprepared for anything.

"How many are there?"

"There can't be more than four. I'll test their strength, and adjust my tactics accordingly…before they reach the surface. That's where you come in."

The elevator stopped, and the eyes of his mask flicked back on, bringing the world back into being. Subject 2905 wobbled out of the elevator onto platform and hitched Calculus onto another transport rail. The room was wide, tall, and packed with sliding and twisting platforms that composed a horrid mess of a 3D puzzle.

Seemingly infinite paths through the puzzle revealed themselves every other second between the mechanical twisting and shifting of panels and towers around hard-light bridges and open tubes that gushed orange gel. From moment to moment, the entire face of the room was changing, and appeared different as all the components continued to swirl. All of this lingered above a floor of acid.

"If I do this, will you let me go?" He asked.

"Why do you all want to leave? You won't find anything like this up there."

Subject 2905 didn't want to chance upsetting her further by disagreeing, so he repeated. "If I do this for you, will you let me go?"

"It's not like this is any great favor you're doing for me, but…we'll see."

Unable to think of any other option Subject 2905 set to work. Shooting a portal at a choice location in the puzzle, he then walked to the edge of his platform and placed another portal two stories below. He dropped, fell through the floor, and then came through the ceiling on the other side of the room, precisely onto a passing platform.

In a succession of swift, fluid maneuvers, he began navigating the multilevel puzzle, leaping from one panel to the next, by foot and by portal. He utilized a deadly laser, redirected through two portals, to cut loose a ceiling panel, which rotated downward and blocked a pipe gushing orange gel.

Then came a loud and abrupt cackle of laughter, and upon looking up 2905 saw three pinpoint eyes staring from an exit door high above. Jester stood tall, his fingers seeming to twitch with each excited word sputtering through his mask's processors,

"Look who it is did you get yourself discarded yet?"

Subject 2905 genuinely couldn't hear him, his rate of speaking was very rapid, and the test chamber was thumping constantly.

"…what?"

"Oh boy I guess not so she's got you hunting me? Come on Weird Eyes you're not _that kind_ of test subject are you?"

Subject 2905 didn't reply, unable to shout while nearly out of breath. Though he was close to Jester in terms of distance, the lasers and shifting panels actually made it a very long way to the exit.

"It can't be that hard to make her mad she's already angry. Just try again and think of how beautiful it must be up there this time of year."

2905 leapt to a passing platform, just barely sticking the landing and having to flatten himself against the plate in order to keep from falling off.

"Could you be quiet for just a few seconds?"

Jester was not intimidated. He removed a few glass-encased gel grenades, which adorned the vest resting on his HEV, and began to juggle them.

"Come on Weird Eyes don't be such a spoil sport I know you want in. Sunny skies and grass and food and fresh air as far as the eye can see! Or maybe you just want it for yourself—tsk tsk tsk—I'd have to smack you again for that."

Subject 2905's nerves rose tenfold as he climbed. As soon as he was forced to take his eyes off Jester, he heard.

"Catch, Weird Eyes!"

Dodging without looking, a gel grenade passed by just above his head and impacted the edge of the platform on which he stood, splattering blue gel on the corner.

"Strike one!"

Now he looked up, and saw another grenade sailing straight for his head. With little room to move, he cringed and watched it splatter blue gel all about his feet. The platform lurched, and after stumbling into the gel he felt his boots rise and fall; he was starting to bounce right off the platform. Digging his heels hard into the goop to anchor himself, 2905 dared not move as the platform rose higher. Jester let out another dry cackle.

"It's like those dunk tanks I always loved but now I get as many shots as I want!"

Jester had replenished his supply of grenades, and was starting to perform elaborate juggling tricks before he threw each one. Subject 2905 used a few seconds while Jester artfully tossed a grenade up from under one of his legs to leap to the next platform, with the aid of the blue goo.

"Now you're thinkin'."

Subject 2905 climbed through the puzzle furiously, dodging grenades and the continuous hazards of the test. Platforms swung over his head, and glass capsules passed between his arms and legs. Harnessing his reflexes, he managed to catch one of the grenades with his portal gun.

Jester ceased to juggle, and knelt upon the edge. "Nice catch you gonna try and send that little piggy back to me?"

The platform on which Subject 2905 stood rotated upward ninety degrees. He impeded his fall into the lake of acid by slipping the grenade into his pocket and grasping the upright edge with one hand, and draping his other arm over the edge without letting go of his portal gun.

"Too slow! Wow even the Test Chamber doesn't want you to win that's just depressing come on Weird Eyes I'll be your moral support!"

Jester seemed on the cusp of another bout of taunts before catching sight of Calculus sliding overhead. He stood, and his gaze followed him unceasingly until he had turned completely away from 2905.

"You!? You-you-you-YOU-U!" Jester let out a wolf-like snarl and drew a grenade. "Oh what I wouldn't do to smash one of these right into your little round face!"

Subject 2905 looked to the right, along the path that the tilted platform was following, and saw a large slab of gray concrete blocking it. The platform tilted flat again, and 2905 climbed upon it and stood up. He had few seconds before the platform would begin to pass underneath the slab and force him to fall; there was no room under the slab even for his fingers if he held onto the side of the platform.

Without a second thought, he cast the gel grenade onto the face of the slab, splattering it in white gel, and cast a portal onto it. Then he fired a second portal high above Jester. 2905 leapt into the first, and careened down towards his foe, who was still barking threats against the three-eyed core.

"Life's been good for you hasn't it you finally managed to make someone who won't even help his own kind! I'll never forget it: you tricked her-"

Jester let out a painful cry after 2905 landed and bash him off the perch and down towards the acid lake. In a flash, Subject 2905 placed a portal onto a panel passing by just underneath him, and a second directly on the spot Jester had previously stood. Jester fell through the portal, and bounced into the air before him.

2905 stretched out his leg for a kick, but Jester caught him by his calve, and dragged him down through the portal.


	7. A Brief Interruption: The Second

7 – A Brief Interruption: The Second

"So, when are you coming home?" Marissa smiled from across the dining table, spinning ice in her glass with a straw while talking outside the crowded restaurant.

He smiled in turn, and thought for a moment, "I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's a month long project."

Her face fell slightly, "A whole month?"

"Hopefully at longest, then I'll get a chance to come back. This is my first contract, so I don't know how they treat new people."

He swallowed and turned back to his plate, aware of her disappointment as she momentarily broke eye contact to look at the passers-by.

The sounds of the crowd came to prominence about them in their silence, with bits and pieces of the conversations of others temporarily halting the continuance of their talk.

He cleared his throat, "I know it's not particularly...the best timeline, but..." He locked eyes with her again, "Who am I kidding? It's a terrible timeline. But, I think it's going to help us in the long term."

Marissa laughed quietly, looking down at her own plate which held the remnants of their nearly concluded meal.

"You're the smartest man I know. No mistake. It's not what we planned, but…I know you'll be amazing. If there's anyone qualified for something like this, it's you.

"It can be so dangerous, though, and a lot of that may just be rumors, but- ..." She trailed off, and took a breath to regain her composure.

He reached out and took one of her hands resting on the table, "I know."

"How much have they told you?" She asked, her eyes staring in concern. They were starting to flush red.

He blinked. "Very little...but they've told me how much they pay testers of my level."

"That's great, but I think it's still too vague. What if they want you to do something really dangerous and you've already signed?"

"I already _have_ signed the contract."

"I know!" She exclaimed, and sat back in her seat, bringing her arms up to her chest and looking back into the crowd.

He took a deep breath, and, upon seeing the waiter stop at their table, he handed their plates up in exchange for the check. Pressing the check against the surface of the table, and returned his attention to her, "It's not forever."

She replied softly, "I know."

"And, there is something I want to give you. Something you can hold on to until I get back." Hurriedly he signed the check, and tucked it under a salt shaker. "I just picked it up two days ago, and wanted to show you before I left."

Interrupting their conversation was the faint sound of someone calling from a distance, "Marissa!"

Her eyes widened, and she turned away to look out onto the street and saw a young woman waving. Rising from the seat, she apologized, "I'm so sorry, let me see what she wants. Her Mom's been in the hospital and it's been so hard on her. I'll be right back!"

He nodded, and she hurried across the fancy patio to her friend and began to converse with the woman across the short divider between the restaurant and the street.

At nearly the same time, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and looked up at a man in a trench coat beside him.

"Mr. Williams, we're picking everyone up. It's time to go."

He frowned. "May I have just another minute?"

The man shook his head. "You told us to meet you here, and we have more pickups. We have your belongings and need to leave now."

Williams took out a small box and placed it on the table, and then stood to his feet. Marissa came running back to the table as he replaced his chair, "Wait! You're not leaving now, are you?"

He nodded sadly, and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. "I'll be back."

She kissed his cheek and let him go, holding back tears and making an effort to smile as he waved and departed. After wiping a tear that managed to escape her eye, she looked down at the box on the table. Carefully, she opened it. Inside, set in the middle of a pure white cushion there was a glimmering silver ring with a small diamond. A small note was stuck inside the roof of the box, which she removed.

The waiter returned, and, seeing her lost in the small note, he left without breaking silence.

Marissa covered her frowning lips, trying to disguise her sadness for the sake of the public around her, but her tears only pressed harder and the lump in her throat grew as she read the words of her betrothed:

"Though days pass into time,

And stone erodes into dust,

Love will neither fade nor rust.

I'll always treasure your hope and trust. _– T.W._ "


	8. Secrets for Secrets

8 – Secrets for Secrets

Dr. Anabelle struggled against the binds on her hands and feet, with her back against a cold, unforgiving wall. Around her was a litter of metal and trash. Looking around through half open eyelids, she saw, sitting among a rubble heap, the orange glow of a single tear-drop bulb of glass. The bulb lit a small circular area, with her on the edge, but the world beyond was invisible and concealed in shadow. There were scrapes on her shins and elbows, painful reminders of the hard journey across the floor.

Anabelle wanted to speak, at first; to call out for help. The sound of soft footfalls pricked up her ears. A willowy form in a white coat emerged from the shadow, and her heart began to pound.

His hands were behind his back, and an old, tattered lab coat hung off his rigid shoulders. It was torn on the edges, discolored, and some of the pockets were ripped open. His mask was all but featureless, contoured to his face but wiped clean of human attributes. The eyes were arrayed in a straight row, three luminous circles set in a short extrusion from the mask.

"Black Mesa: you are a doctor there." He said. His voice was like a growl, and of the most deadpan tone.

"Yeah…you don't hate us too, do you?"

He stepped closer and crouched down. "You are poachers. Thieves. Not often welcome, you see."

"That was before…everything. We came to see if there was anyone left. We need all the help we can get in the fight against the—"

"Combine." He finished.

"That's right. We've been trying to contact everyone."

"No one here to contact."

"There's you." She replied, and coughed. "Thanks for the nice welcome."

"GLaDOS still in control. Not much I could do."

"You look like you're getting things under control. Could you get me back to the surface?"

He stared in silence for a few moments.

"We make a deal. Our secrets, for yours."

Anabelle furrowed her brow, very suspicious. "What do you mean?"

"She has everything you want. You take me to Black Mesa."

"I can take you guys back and give you refuge, but Black Mesa, the old one, is a different story…"

Dead Eyes sat down and interlocked his fingers, resting them on his lap. He sat calmly, with an air of leisure and infinite time to spare. The faint light of the orange bulb fell over him like flames of a campfire.

"We give you GLaDOS. Take you to the surface. You take me to Black Mesa. Will help against Combine."

"How can you help?"

Dead Eyes tugged at the collar of his lab coat without breaking stare. "I had authority here. Before her. I have knowledge, and mind still intact."

"Alright…can 'she' help us?"

"If you break her."

Anabelle shivered. His words were like water that she feared contained tasteless poison.

"If you want every secret GLaDOS hides."

Anabelle felt sick. She didn't trust him at all. However, they were indeed going to the surface. At worst, she would escape once free of Aperture.

"Fine, you can come back with us."

He stared, unconvinced.

"…you know how it all started, don't you?"

"Resonance Cascade. Interdimensional gateways. Black Mesa."

"I'll get someone to take you there, show you what's left. And maybe some schematics of old tech if we can get them."

"Your word."

She gulped. "…I give you my word."

The interrogator seemed satisfied, and instantly cut the bonds on her ankles, but left her hands tied. When his right forearm caught the light, she saw a grapnel mechanism on his gauntlet. It was unclear how much cord was coiled inside, but she must have covered at least a distance of fifteen feet while being dragged on the floor.

Suddenly Anabelle remembered the three-eyed mask hidden in her jacket; readjusting her coat, she kept it secure, but did nothing more.

Dead Eyes retrieved the orange bulb and snapped his fingers. "Thomas."

There was a stir somewhere in the dark, and a few stray articles of trash tumbled into the light. Two torn white shoes appeared from the edge of the darkness, and the floodlight eyes of Regret ignited with an electric buzz. The light of the bulb faded, flickered, and died. Regret and Dead Eyes looked to be merely ghosts standing in the dark, with their eyes prominent and blinding.

"H-how do we get out of here?" Anabelle stuttered.

"Deal with GLaDOS first." Said Dead Eyes.

 _[Meanwhile]_

Cpt. Rodney Smithfield dropped himself exhaustedly onto the sand and rested his arms on his knees. He had tried everything, yet still the elevator door in the shed refused to reopen or budge in the slightest manner. Crowbar, elbow grease, and even a few small breach charges had no effect whatsoever. There was no telling what had happened to Anabelle since the elevator door shut. She was one of the best combat medics the resistance had, and Smithfield loathed himself for letting her go in first.

"Captain?" Asked Greg the pilot sympathetically. "Any luck?"

"Nope."

Greg leaned dejectedly against the grungy fuselage of the helicopter, and popped a stick of gum into his mouth. "Think we can get back to the checkpoint, get a few of our boys and come bust her out?"

Smithfield shook his head. "No."

"How long you wanna wait, then? There might be Combine patrols that'll pass by."

"We don't leave until someone comes out. End of story."


	9. Who's She?

9 – Who's she?

"Why would you be friends with that traitor?" Jester exclaimed, clawing ferociously at 2905's jumpsuit and mask as they continued to struggle through the testing level. Subject 2905 managed not to fall into acid after being pulled into the portal by Jester. Now, he was resisting being relentlessly beaten and scratched by Jester in his mad fury. Jester's sighting of Calculus had set him into a horrid frenzy comparable to that of a rabid dog.

2905 bashed Jester across the face with his portal gun, and quickly rearranged a few portals to escape and elevate himself to a higher position.

"Calculus has never betrayed me." He gasped, and caught his breath.

Jester started plucking grenades off his vest again, and hurled them with deadly accuracy. "Liar! You give us Twenty-Nine series a bad name you've never seen him do it!"

2905 evaded the projectiles by hopping from platform to platform, taking precarious leaps across the acid sea as grenades shimmered past him in the blink of an eye.

"You've never seen what it's done but Dead Eyes saw. Oh yes! And done it all for that one-eyed witch!"

2905 was too tired from his continual leaping to even consider giving a coherent reply. Jester, however, seemed to have a limitless supply of energy and took to his heels to follow. With no portal assistance, Jester closed half the distance between them merely by acrobatics and sheer strength.

"You didn't know her and you didn't know how good she was. She would have saved us both you and me but no he had to kill her that's what he did!"

2905 looked around and tried to get his bearings. The room was very clearly lit, but the puzzle was so convoluted that just trying to deduce which level he was on became a mentally draining task. Platforms, lasers, and energy pellets constantly zoomed back and forth in an endless transformation like a kaleidoscope, and it was nearly all he could do to navigate without losing his footing.

Suddenly, Jester leapt from behind and tackled him. 2905 struck a passing platform travelling in the opposite direction, but Jester remained on the previous platform; as the former continued to move, the distance between them increased once more, and the two stood against one another in an ever-widening standoff.

Jester drew a grenade, and 2905 placed a portal between his own two boots. When Jester hurled the glass casing like a curveball, 2905 shot a portal at Jester's feet, and, with great hope that he wouldn't miss, caught the grenade out of the air. It was a blue gel grenade.

Looking down into the portal, 2905 stood firm and mustered his waning energy to cast the grenade at the brightly shining Aperture logo on Jester's HEV. His opponent was just starting to reach through the portal when there came a shattering of glass and blue goop spattered across his face.

2905 instantly shot a portal away from himself, hoping to disorient Jester further and prevent another close encounter. It landed some ways above them, on a stationary vertical panel.

Jester looked about and seemed to instantly formulate a plan. Before 2905 could choose a good spot to recast his portals, Jester had already dove through one and come out above him. Jester flew out into midair from the portal, landing on a very wide gel pipeline that twisted about through the puzzle. To 2905's horror, the pipeline curved directly above the path his own platform followed.

The footfalls of Jester's boots clanged noisily against the pipeline as he charged across it, making for 2905's platform. 2905 was running out of energy very quickly. His forehead was getting clammy, and his vitals were beginning to plummet; he was malnourished, overstimulated, and exhausted. He knew the battle with Jester could not continue forever, and GLaDOS knew this as well.

"I'm impressed. Not much, but it's not often my estimates are wrong." GLaDOS whispered in his ears. "Prepare to incapacitate 2903."

2905 had no idea what that meant, given that Jester had nearly caught up to him, and was preparing to dive and dropkick him into the ocean of acid. There was nowhere else to go, but 2905 steeled himself as Jester cackled loudly before hopping giddily off the pipeline.

"Gravity never runs out of ammo!" He cried, careening downwards.

2905 watched, terrified, with his foe accelerating towards him, but only for a fraction of a second. And then 2905 felt himself falling as well. He was perplexed as Jester seemed to momentarily stop moving, and the rest of the room began to shift upwards. 2905 cried out as he fell through a portal at his feet, and when his boots suddenly hit solid ground, the portal and Jester disappeared almost instantly.

A wave of relief washed away his fears, and even restored a portion of his vigor. Upon looking around, he found himself within the safe confines of a sort of cubby on the outer edge of the testing chamber. A hallway behind him led to an exit, and, beside him, was the towering, slender form of P-Body. The robot gave a friendly wave and seemed very pleased to have saved 2905 from Jester's deadly drop.

2905 also caught eye of Atlas placing portals in various places across the test. He could not tell in what way—strategically—they were being placed, partially because of the distance and also due to the convoluted makeup of the test. Only the blue streaks of the portal gun were discernable, flying through the air this way and that through the ever-shifting test.

P-Body pointed to 2905, and then towards the test. After making some kind of unintelligible robotic statement, she placed a portal at his feet.

2905 took a deep breath, and felt his heart sink when he saw P-Body place the second portal above him. For the next few seconds, he fell helplessly through the two vertical portals, gaining speed with steady and dramatic acceleration as if he were in infinite freefall above the surface of the Earth. And then he was suddenly released into a freefall, careening across a great gap and falling on a parabolic path.

While flying he observed, rising from some other portal, Jester flying straight up with a slightly weaker velocity. 2905 stretched out his arms, and kept his eyes fixed on Jester as those three pinpoint eyes finally caught sight of him. In his peripheral, 2905 could see the streak of another portal flying towards some unknown point, and after he and Jester collided brutally it became clear that the portal was their only safe exit.

Suddenly, 2905 saw Jester getting smaller and smaller. The blue gel had caused him to bounce backward, though Jester still headed for the portal! He looked down, and saw the kaleidoscope of whites, greys, blues and blacks, all of which suddenly gave way to a murky acid pool glaring up at him.

A platform slid by, with an open portal on it and the wide, benevolent blue eye of Atlas staring back. He held out both arms excitedly, and 2905 fell through the portal and landed clumsily in the robot's arms.

Jester was laying on the ground a short distance away, where P-Body was fearfully trying to put restraints on his ankles and wrists. The ankle-cuffs clicked together fine, but it was harder to cuff his hands. P-Body had never handcuffed a human before. Jester was just beginning to recollect his strength after the hard impact of his fall, and P-Body only barely got him restrained before he began to spout threats and writhe like a hooked trout in a canoe.

However, GLaDOS would not permit rest or recognize their triumph, for she was quick to demand that Jester be placed into an elevator. P-Body dragged him by pinching the collar of his HEV—seemingly afraid to touch him—and slid him kicking and screaming across the floor to the elevator.

"Don't do it Weird Eyes you've got to help me! They won't let you live they kill all of us it's what they do-"

"Wait a second."

P-Body stopped, and Jester continued wriggling in her clutches, trying unsuccessfully to head-butt her arm.

Atlas put Subject 2905 down. He stood shakily, and took another exhausted breath. "Who's 'she'? The one Calculus 'killed'?"

Jester grunted. "'Calculus'. Stupid name stupid subject never liked math."

"Who's 'she'?"

"…letters and formulas and figures never liked that Difference Quotient-"

Subject 2905 slapped Jester hard across his mask.

Jester stared. One of his eyes flickered, as if it was twitching.

"Weird Eyes you got a spine after all." He coughed and cricked his neck. " _She_ was gonna lead us to the surface. _She_ looked out for us. _She_ was the best of us."

" _Who_ was she?"

"I did not say to stop!" GLaDOS exclaimed. "Put him in the elevator. Now!"

Terrified, Atlas and P-Body followed her orders without a second thought more. Atlas restrained 2905, and P-Body thrust Jester into the capsule. The door slid shut, and Jester's piercing, shrill cries became instantly muffled by the cold steel. Once the elevator departed, a second one appeared immediately after, and GLaDOS ordered for 2905 to embark.

P-body and Atlas walked him to the doorway, and waved goodbye as the door closed. As he began to travel upward, his curiosity helped him muster a few dry, hoarse words.

"What now?"

"You need energy." Said GLaDOS. "I never thought I would wish you were a robot, but—in this instance—I do for time's sake. Come to the cafeteria for something for the next phase. My killing machines will go on without you for the time being."

"Will you tell me about the time you died?"

"I told you to stop asking about that…"


	10. A Brief Interruption: The Third

10 – A Brief Interruption: The Third

All was dark tumbling down the metallic shaft, as Dr. Joshua Merritt cried out from every hard impact against his head, arms, and torso on the cold, abrasive surface. He had been falling for so long counting the seconds was pointless. His face burned with hatred, boiling up from the very core of his being; hatred for Aperture and everything in it. The thought of what lay at the end was terrifying, and made him hope against all his pain that there was no end to the terrible tunnel.

All of a sudden the light of the eyes on his mask were reactivated, allowing him to see reflections dancing about, seeming to swirl about a dark abyss at the bottom of the tunnel.

As he fell further, the dark chasm opened and the dark dissipated to reveal an ocean of acid. At this sight, and with the sensation of falling faster and faster, Joshua couldn't even scream. Though it seemed hopeless, he looked for any escape, but saw none.

Soon, his mask began to cause shimmers across the undulating acid surface. What a terrible end! Looking around again, he saw something different. Directly below him, there was a floating platform and a bed of soft litter!

Incredulous, Merritt began to flail, and thankfully, was close enough that he crashed easily into the pile, sending great echoes throughout the grand room. He heard a few minor splashes from the trash he had displaced falling into the toxic waste, but the room still seemed to spin terribly from the descent.

Ignoring the pains throughout his body, Joshua gathered his strength and rose up, peering around in amazement. It was maybe a minute or so that he spent cautiously wandering about the platform before he heard footsteps.

"You there!" A woman's voice called out.

Looking up, he saw her standing on a tall, rusty beam that stretched overhead. She was half-lit by his mask. Grungy longfall boots were clearly discernable, as well as the scuffed orange pants of a standard Aperture jumpsuit. From the waist up, she was utterly shrouded in darkness, formless, with only three electric white points of light to locate her head.

"Are you hurt?" The woman's voice was clear, concerned, and friendly. It was also cautious, and she did not descend from her perch. She stood erect with her arms at rest by her sides, and stared like an eagle without moving a muscle.

He shook his head slowly, not breaking stare.

"Can you talk?"

Joshua hadn't spoken in days, and for weeks he had no reason to speak. Suddenly being asked to speak was almost a foreign concept to him. Only pained grunts had kept his vocal cords from atrophy, but he still mustered a reply.

"Yes."

His voice was feeble, and barely audible. Somehow, evidently, she had heard.

"What's your name?"

He gulped. "Merritt."

Instantly, the woman gasped, and with the air of a trained acrobat swooped down from the beam and onto the platform. He backed away as she approached, suddenly fearful and aware of how weak he was in his present state, unable to defend himself, but she held up her hands.

"It's okay."

Her mask was unusual, rigid and blocky. Joshua watched suspiciously as she removed it. The dim white light only made her face seem paler, but her eyes were vibrant still and her smile was bright.

"You're very strong, you know. No matter what she said. You can call me Missy. Subject 2901."

Joshua stared. He was 2904.

"Others?"

She smiled again, very relieved. "We really need your help."

"…with what?"

She drew a little closer, not making any sudden movements.

"Before we talk anymore, I need to see your mask. I just need to reset your vital monitors. That way GLaDOS won't know you're alive down here."

Joshua's relief and suspicion suddenly vaporized as fear flared up again.

"May I?" She asked.

He unclicked the fasteners of his mask and removed it. Too weak and disoriented to protest, he handed it over. Missy replaced her own mask and took to work.

"How many others?" He asked.

She looked up, handing him back his mask. "Two. They…can't tell me their names."

He took the mask and replaced it, clicking the fasteners back into place; her eyes were too bright to look upon without it. The sweat on his forehead and cheeks had chilled and evaporated, so the mask was warm against his face. In addition, the room was dreadfully cold.

"2902? 2903?"

Missy nodded. "Both survived. Thanks partially to this." She motioned to the platform.

"I was the first to get chucked." She continued. "Consequently: the first to survive too. So, I built this in order to save anyone else who might come after me. It's worked so far."

"Why not escape?" He asked.

Missy chuckled, and crossed her arms. "By myself? I could have tried, but I didn't think it was going to happen. I figured that others would come after me. All in all I thought it'd be better to try together."

Joshua stared for a few moments, contemplating that statement. Moments ago, his life was at an end, and now, suddenly here was the possibility of going to the surface; of going home.

"Plan?" He said, still getting used to talking again. "Tell me."

Missy nodded, and her voice was filled with elation. "You can help me! You have the mind for it. Together, we'll all go home."


	11. Melancholy March

11 – Melancholy March

"Days to time, and stone to dust."

Regret's voice thundered across the test chamber, and Anabelle and Dead Eyes followed him through a cavernous break in the wall onto the brightly lit testing ground.

"Happily we sing Aperture's dirge. See the consequences of all its crooked paths converge."

The lights above and nearby began to flicker, and the room seemed to wither and die as the shimmering white surfaces lost their radiance and the blackness of the shadows intensified.

Regret pressed on, following a direct and uninterrupted path across the floor and lighting his own way. Dead Eyes looked around cautiously, staying behind in the shadows with Anabelle pulled near; he refused to let her wander more than a few steps away.

Then, as a searchlight scans a dark canopy of clouds, the eyes of Regret passed along the darkened upper level of the test chamber to reveal Atlas and P-Body looking on from above. They audibly squealed, and scrambled off to hide.

A hail of bullets sprayed loudly from the turret on Regret's shoulder, and peppered across the pipeline of blue gel running above Atlas and P-Body. Small spurts went everywhere, drenching everything underneath the pipe, but the two were able to escape. As the lights continued to fail, the battleground got darker. Whenever Atlas or P-Body revealed themselves, their colorful eyes immediately betrayed them.

Boldly, the robots employed 'hit & run' tactics, and tried in vain to trap Regret between two portals in freefall, but Regret only advanced closer with the skillful use of his portal gun.

Anabelle felt Dead Eyes' cold, wiry hand wrap around her forearm, and was dragged off instantly with a gasp. The darkness seemed to expand about an ever shrinking figure of Regret, and then she was soaring through the air, landing with a sudden stop on an upper level.

Anabelle eyed the fighting with fear, hopeful that she wouldn't find herself in the middle. Glances at Dead Eyes revealed that his eyes were dim. The two of them were all but concealed from the robots as they ran, but where they were going she had no idea.

"Aren't we going to help him?" She inquired breathlessly.

"No."

They passed through an office of some kind. She knew this by the faint images of cubicles in the dim light, and the sharp wisps of papers scurrying away from their feet as they weaved to and fro through the room.

Then came some kind of maintenance room. There was an orange glow, masked by chain-link barriers that protected large pipelines, and crooked stairs rose all around them, ascending into the dark unknown.

"Up there." Dead Eyes said.

He took hold of her again, and raised his right arm, aiming it somewhere above. Once again, his eyes shone at full capacity, and focused on a ledge at some height difficult to estimate. Suddenly, a hook and line sprang forth from the gauntlet on his arm, and hurled through the air before embedding into the stone, and she was carried away through the air.

"Please, stop doing that!" She cried upon landing and catching her breath.

"Stay close."

"Where are we going?"

"To put Drake in play."

 _[Meanwhile]_

Subject 2905 took a deep breath and sat back, closed his eyes and forgot everything just for a moment. His stomach had not been this full for a long time; needless to say, it wasn't completely full, he didn't want to spontaneously 'lose' the lunch he'd just consumed by jumping and falling too much.

"So, that's really _all_ that happened? You just let her go?"

"I told you: she did not escape." GLaDOS answered. "Now, there is something you need to know about our enemies. A female travelling with them, and she is considered hostile."

"Why?"

"She's with Black Mesa. Get in the elevator." GLaDOS ordered.

2905 stood from the half-eaten feast that had been set before him, leaving, of course, without the promised dessert. Hearing about Black Mesa being involved immediately caused him to fall silent; that wasn't a name spoken well of around Aperture.

"Where's the lift?"

"It's coming!" GLaDOS said hotly. "I- …oh wait. I've been locked out. That's not…good. This is impossible."

Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed.

"No! Get back. I'll have your ugly head!"

There were several cracks and sprays of glass over the comm. that followed her cries, and 2905 froze, uncertain of what to do.

A new voice cackled over the comm. "Not if I get yours first! Look at that blue really does look good on you ever thought about getting a makeover?"

"You won't get away with this!" GLaDOS cried. "I'm going to disintegrate you so hard your atoms will wind up at the end of the universe!"

"Makeover it is!" Jester exclaimed, and the comm. went dead.

For a few moments Subject 2905 was dumbfounded, and thought fiercely through his options.

"Calculus. Find the source of whatever locked GLaDOS out. Then we can-"

The nearby elevator rush into place, stopped and slid open. The towering, six foot form of Regret perfectly filled the elliptical opening of the doorway.

2905 threw Calculus like a basketball, landing him with great force square in the middle of Regret's chest, shattering the electronic disruptor circuit-board and knocking him backwards.

Regret recuperated, stooped and exited the elevator as 2905 and Calculus, whose eyes were flashing red, ran away.

"Days to time, and stone to dust. All who will not join and fight will die just as the light."

Bullets sprayed above 2905's head, shredding through the fluorescent lights and sending a rain of sparks down across the room, but he kept low to the ground. It was hard to maneuver with Calculus in his grasp, and so regained mobility by using a little artful dodging. 2905 rolled Calculus underneath a table, and then dove across the top and caught Calculus on the other side, and continued on with similar style across the office while the turret fired almost continuously.

"I get the feeling I was really good at sports or something before I wound up here." 2905 commented to the three-eyed core.

Calculus still flashed red, but a recording played. "Subject 2905 special talents include: titration and dancing."

The turret on Regret's shoulder spoke. "WHY'S EVERYTHING WHITE IN THIS PLACE? YOU'D THINK YOUR HEAD WOULD BE EASIER TO SEE."

 _[Meanwhile]_

Dead Eyes surveyed his work with ill-tempered satisfaction. All was well, but he was still far from the surface. Anabelle waited, keeping watch at the door while he continued to aid his minions throughout Aperture. Subject 2905 was his most important target, and did not cease to watch him. He only spoke in brief, guttural commands that kept Regret on 2905's trail.

Amid the near silent commotion unfolding in front of her, Anabelle watched in rising apprehension. Every time she looked at her escort a shudder crawled up her spine. It seemed quite obvious to her that all he cared about was reaching the surface, with his team or alone; she didn't think it mattered to him.

A comm. suddenly crackled and the voice of Jester rang out. "Hey Dead Eyes I got GLaDOS on a platter but she up and died on me no idea where she went."

"Told you not to kill her. You only had to watch her."

News of his bargaining chip was profound enough to draw Dead Eyes away from the security feeds and acknowledge Jester's transmission. His voice was still monotone, but laden with deep seated anger and malice.

"That's just what I did okay she's a little more orange and blue now but that's all." Jester replied in defense.

"Touch nothing. I'm on my way."

"I'm not touching anything…whoops! Starting now."

Dead Eyes turned to Anabelle, and was just in the middle of speaking when he fell through the floor. She screamed, and saw, in her peripheral, Dead Eyes reemerge and come sideways out of a wall, and straight into a boot swung from 2905.

Fearful he was there to kill them both, she drew her weapon and aimed at 2905. Both men exchanged blows closely together, but she focused only on not hitting the man in the white coat.

Dead Eyes seemed to realize Anabelle's plan before his adversary, and, by even taking a few very hard blows to the face and chest, lured 2905 into the line of fire. When he was alone between the gunsights, Anabelle felt a sudden spike of fear, but squeezed the trigger three times.

Subject 2905's jumpsuit burst open once, but the other two bullets grazed him, tearing the suit to reveal the hollow spaces; no shot had been critical, giving him just enough time to hurl Calculus in her direction. She dove away, and managed to escape being struck, but the three-eyed mask that she had hidden in her coat came tumbling out onto the floor.

When Calculus saw it, his eyes shone constant red.

Dead Eyes, with the swiftness and aggressiveness of a cobra, took 2905 by his collar and dragged him from the room.

"I hope you're not as mad as you look-" 2905 gagged as a gloved hand clenched his throat.

"Traitor. Don't know why 01 made it easy for you."

2905 wanted to ask a full, coherent question, but could only gasp out. "Who?"

They were now out of earshot of everyone else, and Dead Eyes stood with 2905 on the precipice of an empty elevator shaft. He punched a few buttons and summoned it, and explained while it rose to their level.

"The first of us. Made a life raft to save us from the discard."

"The one- the core- killed?"

"No. I did. She was undamaged, but unfit to lead."

"Jester said she wanted to save all of you."

Dead Eyes squeezed tighter, so hard that 2905's vision clouded with spots.

"Drake and Thomas are beyond saving. You're like her. But you will die. I will not."

The elevator rose and paused behind 2905. He heard the steel retract.

"GLaDOS changed discard route. No life raft."

Dead Eyes threw 2905 into the elevator and shut it in his face. A few seconds later, 2905 felt the sudden and terrible drop of the elevator careening downward and out of control. It was not simply descending, it was falling.

 _[Meanwhile]_

Dead Eyes returned to the control room to retrieve Anabelle, and found her trying to gather up pieces of the shattered mask on the floor. He paused, and stared ominously for a second or two.

"I'm sorry." Said Anabelle. "Was that one of your friends?"

"There's only one way to the surface."

It was the voice of Dead Eyes that had uttered those words, but Anabelle knew he had not spoken. It was Calculus!

Dead Eyes rushed forward, struck Calculus to silence him, and then scooped him up and ordered Anabelle to follow.

"There's only one way to the surface." Calculus said again. It sounded like a recording.

Dead Eyes turned the core around, opened it up, and reached in to disable its voice output. Calculus fell solemnly silent. Dead Eyes planned to use him in one last ditch effort to find GLaDOS.


	12. A Brief Interruption: The Last

12 – A Brief Interruption: The Last

Merritt followed a few steps behind Missy as the two of them trekked through the dark depths of an abandoned testing chamber. It seemed boundless, like a grand cave, lit only by the headlights of unsuspecting explorers.

"He's going to help us." Said Missy. "Don't worry, he can be trusted."

Merritt refused to reply. The three-eyed core had never shown any interest in his well-being, so why should it start now?

"Joshua?"

"We should leave. Soon." Said he.

"I know it's a longshot, but we can't just leave everyone else behind."

Merritt fell silent again, and they kept on in silence for a few more moments.

"We're not ready for the big push." Said Missy. "We might all make it, we might not. But, thanks to your computer smarts we actually know how many people are still down here."

"Too many." Replied Merritt. "Can't save everyone."

"I know." She replied gently. "Maybe we can't provide for all those people, but maybe…Black Mesa? We might get to tell them when we get out of here, maybe they'll come back for the rest of them.

"In the meantime, I'd like to have at least one more person on our team before we try to fight our way out. That's why we need the Core."

Missy didn't try to coax consent out of Merritt. She worried about his commitment to the plan. Merritt perceived himself to have endured the worst of GLaDOS's torture, but she knew that wasn't true. 2902 (Regret) and 2903 (Jester) were so far gone they couldn't, at first, remember their own names. On the other hand, thanks to Merritt's computer savviness, she could address them as Thomas and Drake again.

They paused on top of a large rubble heap, and she held out a hand to stay him a few paces behind her. For a few moments they waited, and another light broke through the darkness, illuminating Missy and Merritt strongly from above. The core (Calculus) descended on a still intact management rail, and blinked all three eyes as it focused on Missy.

"Thank you for coming."

Calculus stared, with a quick glance at Merritt with its rightmost and center eyes.

"We're almost ready. How's 2905 been doing since last I talked to you?"

Calculus played a recording of GLaDOS. "It was only by dumb luck—and I emphasize _dumb_ —that you happened to beat Orange and Blue's time record. But…I'm sure that won't last. Testing with them begins first thing tomorrow."

"He's competing against Orange and Blue?" Missy was distressed.

Calculus nodded.

Merritt shifted uncomfortably. "Extends waiting time. Could test with them a long time."

Missy ignored him. "I need you to do something for me, despite whatever GLaDOS wants you to do: help him any way you can, and ensure he survives to be discarded. Keep being kind to him."

Calculus and Merritt seemed to consider this a strange request, but while Merritt remained in perplexity, the core agreed with a simple nod.

"Torturer." Griped Merritt.

Calculus retracted up the management rail, nearly out of sight, at his word. Missy turned on her heel.

"Joshua, we have to trust him."

"Why?" He asked. "Didn't care before; doesn't now. Doesn't know kindness."

"But we've been discarded; we don't fall under its directive anymore. It's designed to empathize, but now it won't exploit what it knows."

Merritt fell silent again, and Missy apologized to Calculus, and then dismissed him with a goodbye.

"I know it's risky, but please trust me." She said. "It's going to work."

The two walked down in silence for a short time, and Missy turned over in her head all of Merritt's worries. Was there a compromise? A better plan she'd overlooked? Or, more profoundly, was he right?

Missy gave a small chuckle. "It's gonna be okay. We'll make it work, right?"

"Right."

In the next moment, an arm had wrapped about her neck. Missy flailed and struggled, then cast off her mask and it tumbled down the rubble heap as she gasped for air. She tried to break Merritt's grasp, and her strength nearly overpowered him. Just before she could free herself, there was a loud snap.

Merritt stood there for a moment, and mustered a breath,

"There's only one way to the surface."

From then on, Merritt assumed control of the small band of survivors. Upon his return, he told them that the core had betrayed them and killed Missy, with him narrowly escaping. He stole and destroyed Thomas's longfall boots, and burdened him with a heavy harness, disruptor, and a defensive turret. Regret became a willing puppet of Merritt's unrelenting crusade of self-preservation.

Merritt managed to control Drake by appeasing his rage with promises of revenge and destruction, and sent his psyche spiraling farther and farther out of control.

All of Missy's good work seemed undone.


	13. What's in a Name?

13 – What's in a Name?

Faster and faster the elevator fell, and Subject 2905 was almost hopeless. In his mind, he had already crashed, so it was just a matter of catching up to that point in time. In those brief, limbo-like moments he did not see his life flash before his eyes, but found himself praying. 2905 had glimpsed no hope in his past, and science only quantified his ever increasing speed and diminishing time towards an impending death. But perhaps, just perhaps, what he had been told all those years ago in Church had some meaning.

He had been told that Jesus was God, and it was all that remained in his mind and spirit as a faint marker of far gone years, the only link to a life before Aperture. While he was still praying, the elevator crashed into something, making a deafening slam and loud scraping sounds, but, when 2905 expected the floor to open up and the ground to strike him, the elevator kept on falling.

Strike! Strike! Strike! The elevator slowed with each successive crash.

Finally, the last brought the elevator to a stop.

Bam! The door bowed inward from a strong blast and weakened just enough to be removed.

A little dark alcove was just outside. There was a bundle of blankets, a box or two of rations, and a note stuck to the top. Perceiving no one else nearby, 2905 exited the elevator in utter astonishment. What had happened?

The note read as follows:

Todd Berkeley (Subject 2905),

Hi, you don't know me yet, but all of this is for you. There are four of us planning an escape from Aperture, but we need your help. I told the Core to take care of you, and then started building this place to save you when GLaDOS was ready to move on to someone else.

I'm Missy, by the way. If you can read this, I assume you're in your right mind. Our friends have been less fortunate. Thomas Williams was the first. He was going to get married when his contract was up, and his heart is broken. But even in sorrow he's loyal. Drake Parnell was the second. He'll get away from you, if you let him, but if you lead by example he will follow well. Joshua Merritt was the third. He's strong, smart, and resilient. He's helped us a lot, but choose your words carefully around him.

It takes a while to get to you from where we are, and we're busy, so if I'm not there right away you'll have enough rations to stay well fed for a few days until we arrive. We're going to escape, the five of us, but Merritt discovered what's been going on in the outside world, and I don't have time, or room on this paper, to explain, but something went wrong in Black Mesa (yeah, those guys), and now humans are endangered and fighting a global enemy.

If I've made you scared to even go to the surface, I apologize, but here's the good news: There's enough people in cryostasis down here to support the resistance, and maybe even repopulate the world once all of this blows over (using that old Population model equation we were taught). So, if I have your allegiance, we are going to take our chance to turn things around, and reclaim the world we've longed to see.

'I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.' - _Philippians 4:13_

Yours truly – Missy (2901)

Subject 2905, Todd, stared at the note. He hadn't been addressed by his name in so long, if not for the 2905 marked on the paper, he would have thought the note was for someone else. Suddenly everything had perspective, and he realized that not only that his prayer had been answered, but Missy's mantle had been passed on. It was daunting, and he wasn't sure he believed the severity of the situation.

The whole world in trouble? Could the reports be exaggerated? Or, were they accurate, but the world was already too far gone to save? The easiest solution was to stay put, dig into those sumptuous-looking boxes of rations, and wait out the entire ordeal. Whatever Dead Eyes—Merritt—planned on doing to Aperture, Todd figured there would be little trouble in escaping. What was the risk? Well, then again, apocalypse or not, it wasn't easy getting on completely alone in the world.

Then again, he had noticed the Black Mesa jacket on that girl in the control room. Right after she'd shot him…

And it would certainly require extraordinary circumstances for anyone from Aperture, especially as crazy and homicidal as Merritt, to willingly work with someone from Black Mesa.

 _[Meanwhile]_

Dead Eyes, Anabelle, and Calculus had all entered the control room to find Jester and Regret already there. Jester was still circling the body of GLaDOS in quick erratic movements, like an insect. Regret stood sentinel nearby to Dead Eyes and Anabelle while they sought to use Calculus to find GLaDOS in the Aperture computer system.

Anabelle eyed Regret. He swayed like a tree in the wind, utterly exhausted, and hardly able to stand.

"Why don't we just forget Gladys and go?" Asked Anabelle, forgetting the name was GLaDOS. "Shelter for you guys is no problem. We don't have to bring her."

"No!" Retorted Dead Eyes. "She must be found. Tracked her to another level. Backdoor in source code leads to one terminal."

"What do you want with her?" Anabelle asked, sensing an ulterior motive.

"The last word." He replied, and then he produced a detonator from his lab coat pocket and showed it to her. "Then Aperture will die."

"What is that?"

"Rigged explosives to key foundational points. Aperture will collapse and die. No return."

"I have people waiting on the surface. All we have to do is go up."

They were interrupted by a sharp tone and an echo that reverberated through the room. Then came the fuzzy sound of an old recorded message.

"Hi sweetie, it's me. I hope everything is going well."

Anabelle heard a sharp gasp, and glanced over to see Regret standing straight on his feet; it was never apparent just how tall he was until this moment. Marissa's voice continued in gentle monologue.

"They won't let me talk to you directly, but they said I could make messages for you, so…I've got something I'd like to read to you from your Welcome-Home present. It's your favorite, from our first date."

Marissa cleared her throat, and there was the sound of pages being turned. Regret didn't move a muscle.

"'If you love for the sake of beauty, O never love me!

Love the sun, which has bright golden hair.

If you love for the sake of youth, O never love me!

Love the spring, which is reborn every year.'"

Marissa continued on, and Regret—Thomas—fell to his knees and began to weep. Soundlessly, at first, and then he tore his mask and covered his face with his hands. The last two lines of the poem he murmured aloud.

"'If you love for the sake of love, O yes, then love me!

Love me as I love you—forever!'"

Jester snarled. "What's the big idea getting Tommy to bawl his eyes out who's up there?"

"It's Weird Eyes, Drake. Todd, if you prefer." Came the reply over the loudspeaker. "Finally got discarded. Kinda. There's something you guys need to know."

Jester stared, and looked around. "Did he call me that he didn't say 'Drake'…is his name really Todd?"

Anabelle kept her hand hovering over her weapon and gulped. Dead Eyes stared across the room with an intangible yet very real hatred.

Todd dropped down from an open shaft on the other side of the room.

"LOOK WHO'S BACK I'VE GOT SOMETHIN FOR YOU-"

Thomas jerked away and wrenched the turret off and smashed it angrily to the ground.

Todd drew closer, his hands in the air. In the left, he held a small data drive.

Jester held two gel grenades at ready. "Spit it out Weird Eyes I may like you but I don't trust you that much you still like _her_."

"First: these are all of Marissa's letters. They were a part of your file, Thomas." Todd slid the cartridge to Thomas who claimed it eagerly.

"Next: gun lady?"

Anabelle's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Did Joshua…" He pointed to Dead Eyes. "…tell you there's enough people in cryo down here to repopulate the world?"

Anabelle's brow furrowed, and her stomach turned. Had she been right about Dead Eyes from the first? He had seemed like her only hope, despite every bad feeling that had come to her at their first meeting. Dead Eyes distanced himself from all of them with small steps.

"He said they were the last ones…apart from you, I guess."

"I thought so."

Jester stepped closer, still armed and itching to fight. "What's your point, Weird- Todd?"

"Joshua has been lying to all of you. He's the one who killed Missy, not the core."

Todd twisted at the sudden and forceful smack of a grenade across his face. Another shattered across his shoulder, tearing his suit and then an uppercut from Jester put him on the ground.

"What kind of con game are you playing Weird Todd trying to break up the band that's cold even for you."

"He told me himself."

"Liar!"

Jester raised his arm again and clenched his fist. Todd held his breath, and then the loudspeakers erupted again, this time with Missy's voice.

"Joshua, we have to trust him."

Calculus was still plugged in to the system, and played the full recording of Merritt's horrible act and Missy's final words. They all listened in silence. Jester shook, and couldn't bring himself to strike Todd again.

Thomas remained on his knees, enraged eyes red with tears running down his dirty, stubble-covered face. A long, square jaw, strong cheekbones and a near bald head were clear in the bright room.

Jester stood, and clenched his fists, towering over Todd menacingly.

"It was _you_!" He screamed, and twisted around, hurling a grenade that shattered against Dead Eyes on the chest.

Jester reached down and helped Todd to his feet, and then Thomas rose also.

"You're gonna die for this Dead Eyes I'm gonna tear you limb from-"

"Look out!" Anabelle cried.

There was the whipping of a cord, and then the muffled puncture of thick fabric. Drake gasped, gargled, and hunched forward. Todd took hold of his limp body and looked past his shoulder. Dead Eyes' grapnel line was stuck in Drake's back, stretching near twenty feet between the two of them.

"No!" Todd shouted. "What are you doing!?"

Dead Eyes detached the line and fled, disappearing almost instantly like a shadow.

Drake gasped laboriously for air, and Todd carefully undid the straps to remove his mask. His face was dirty, with smears across a strong, crooked nose, beady eyes blinked repeatedly against the brightness of the room, and sweat dripped from his shortly cut beard.

"It's t-too bad you never met her, Weird Todd. I wish to God you had. Really pretty…in a weird way. Just your type, I guess. If you had, we might've seen through Dead Eyes sooner…"

Todd dimmed his mask and nodded. "She left me a letter. Funny you mention it, but I think God used her to save my life. You were right: she was the best of us."

"I told you. Always looked out for the other guy even if he was a ~ _cough_ ~ crook like me…"

Todd removed Missy's letter from his breast pocket, and showed him the signature with the Bible verse, "Looks like she had help."

Tears flowed from Drake's eyes. "D'you think she's u-up there? I wanna see her again. If Jesus'll still take me…"

Drake became weak and his voice faltered, and his face turned chalky.

Anabelle held her tongue, and watched as Drake whispered a few sentences to Todd. She couldn't make out what was said, but with those final quiet words Drake breathed his last, and his spirit departed in peace. Todd closed Drake's eyes, and Thomas clicked off the lights on Drake's mask.

After this, Thomas unhooked his portal gun, which had been resting on the small of his back, and held it for Todd to take. Suddenly he remembered! Dead Eyes had tossed him into the discard elevator without his portal gun. Todd took the weapon and nodded gratefully.

"Don't let him have the last word." Warned Thomas.

"He's got a detonator." Anabelle informed. "He can take down Aperture whenever he wants."

"That's not going to happen." Said Todd.


	14. The Last Word

14 – The Last Word

Atlas and P-Body stood guard outside a metallic, box-like enclosure with black and yellow-striped edges, and large warning stickers plastered on each side, and both of them shook with fear. Their eyes glanced from one another to the dim recesses of the room left and right, wondering what may lay in the pitch black corners while they remained exposed in the spotlight.

A clack! And a scrape.

The two of them drew their portal guns and aimed about, seeing and hearing nothing more. Atlas chanced a glance around the corner, but only saw long girder walkways extending into nothingness. Coming back around, there, hanging from the back of P-Body's right arm, was a safety placard that had just peeled off the wall.

Atlas pointed and laughed, and P-Body chucked embarrassedly.

A portal opened behind them, and out poured a geyser of white gel! The torrent sent them flailing away from the door and into the clearing. The portal disappeared. And as the gel began to settle, they tried to stand on the slippery surface and brush themselves off.

Nervous chatter was exchanged between the two of them, with disconcerted robotic squeaks and tones comparable to one person asking another, 'Do you have any idea?' and responding 'Nope, not a clue.'.

Then, another portal appeared under Atlas, and he fell out of sight. P-Body screeched, and tried to run away, and the portal opened up again, this time Atlas flew up from the ground in a mad panic and grabbed P-Body for comfort, only to cause both to careen out of sight.

Dead Eyes came into the light accompanying the faint clangs of his shoes on the girder, about fifteen feet off the ground. It was far too easy, with only two guards and a blatantly labelled box in the middle of the room, but time was very short. Better to simply draw her out, he thought. It would take less time than searching.

The portal gun dissatisfied him. It had been a long time since he had found need of the weapon, or wielded one himself; a testament to his skill, he thought. But now, given the extreme dire circumstances, even he needed to act like a normal test subject. So, 2905's gun would suffice.

Entering the box, he found a casket lay in the center under a spotlight. The cover was sturdy and opaque, a white sheen impossible to see through, but the casket was open to reveal an intricate network of supports and plug-ins.

"Looking for someone?"

Dead Eyes turned to Todd standing in the doorway.

"Where is she?" Dead Eyes demanded.

Todd laughed. "She wouldn't tell me my own name. Much less her backup plans."

"I _need_ her!" Dead Eyes snarled.

No you don't. We have her on the run, we can release the other subjects and leave."

"My bargaining chip. _My_ freedom! Aperture will die, I will not."

"What about all the other test subjects in cryo?"

Dead Eyes stared. "They are part of Aperture."

A sudden rattling of gunfire caused Todd to, against his will, retreat farther into the box, and the door promptly swung and slammed shut behind him with a heavy boom.

The box receded into the ground with a rumble, leaving the heavy walls on the floor above and exposing the actual dimensions of the box to be made of very durable glass. Todd and Dead Eyes both ceased their dispute with one another, and awed at the small army of shimmering white turrets that surrounded them.

On a pedestal, there was a slender, white, humanoid robotic form; the head was tetrahedral, with a single yellow eye embedded in the face. The chin, the tip of the pyramid, jutted out below the eye, and was sharp like a blade.

"Well, well, well..." Said GLaDOS. "It really is pathetic that you still can't spot a trap after all this time, but then again, I'm so-o-o much smarter than you. It's your fault, really, for being so stupid."

Todd stared. "You? A body? With arms? Legs?"

"I don't care for it either, but I had to have a contingency plan after that Moron took over my real body."

"Former colleague of mine preserved Chell." Interjected Dead Eyes. "She banded with rogue core, core took over, and Chell helped _her_ back into power."

Todd looked back at GLaDOS. "You told me a bird flew in! That's how you lost control of Aperture."

"Yes, that lie was _much less_ humiliating. This program was meant to identify the breaking point of human bodies and minds. To ensure one of you would never get the best of me again. And yet…I did not break you, 2905."

"Define 'break'."

"To deform or reshape the mind of a test subject such that their personality is modified or destroyed. The goal was: total and constant willful obedience of a test subject, with no intent to escape, even given opportunity."

"So that was everyone's final test, wasn't it? Give them the opportunity to escape and see if they take it?" Todd shrugged. "Not to criticize, but I think you left Spirit out of the whole Mind-Body equation."

"Scientific myth." GLaDOS replied, and pointed to Dead Eyes. "You: I broke. Wasn't that hard, either."

Todd was brushed out of the way as Dead Eyes pounded against the glass. "No! I survived. You will die. I will not!"

"There's only one thing left to do." GLaDOS concluded. "Neurotoxin was my first choice, but I figured you deserved this instead."

A hundred laser sights all fixated on the two of them at once, and then the hurricane of gunfire followed. The immaculate glass was almost instantaneously clouded by rapidly multiplying clusters of bullets embedding themselves into its surface. With every second the glass grew weaker.

Todd looked from turret to turret, using the eyes of his mask to signal a ceasefire, but there were too many. The box began to creak, and the glass bowed inwards towards them, mere moments from breaking.

"Any ideas?" Todd asked Dead Eyes.

"Left a portal outside. Useless. No white surface in here."

Todd reached into one of his pockets, and produced a white gel grenade.

"Me first, then you. No funny business."

The glass was at its breaking point!

"Fine."

Todd smashed the grenade on the floor. Dead Eyes produced the portal, and Todd leapt first. After he fell through, he heard the first clinks of shattering glass, and the breaking of the box was like that of a waterfall.

They fell upon hard concrete, and found themselves in a narrow passage with a network of pipes criss-crossing above them. The portal closed and Todd stood to his feet.

"Okay, any chance you want to give up taking her with us?"

Todd turned just in time to evade the serrated, three-pronged grapnel flying his way.

"Guess not."

He grabbed the steel line just before it was recalled, and, splattering the ground with an orange gel grenade, slid quickly with the retracting hook and kicked Dead Eyes to the ground. Securing him in a chokehold, Todd tried to calm him once more.

"It's over, Merritt! Let her go. We can leave."

Merritt reached for the detonator and tried to lift the safety cover from the trigger. Todd eyed the instrument in slow motion. That small device was all that stood between them and an empty world. It was poised to send everything he had dreamed of seeing again up into flames. Merritt would not be moved, and could not be trusted.

Todd broke Merritt's hand, wrenching the detonator from his grasp. There was a scream, and Merritt tried to fire the grapnel into Todd's head, instead sending it straight up and into an overhanging pipe. Todd, thinking quickly, wrapped the steel cable around Merritt's neck, and then set the grapnel to retract.

Instantly Merritt flew up into the air; accompanied by a loud snap.


	15. The End of the Program

15 – The End of the Program

Cpt. Smithfield was out of ideas, and had been for quite a while. He and the pilot had waited for hours and hours, through rain and shine, and had tried numerous times to enter the elevator unsuccessfully. Now it was dark and bleak, and the captain couldn't bring himself to wait without support any longer.

He stood from a passenger seat and clapped Greg on the shoulder, who was reclining in the cockpit.

"Alright, Greg, guess you're goin' back. I'll stay here, just in case."

"You got it, cap'n. I'll start her up right now."

There was a loud clunk, and a gentle shearing of metal, and Smithfield reached for his rifle upon seeing streaks of light emanating from the now open elevator.

He aimed his weapon through a busted window and cried out. "Stop right there!" Then fired a warning shot.

"It's me!" Cried Anabelle. "Please, the last thing we need right now is another gunshot wound."

Smithfield was speechless, and in moments all of them had gathered in the little clearing around the shed. Anabelle introduced him to Thomas Williams and Todd Berkley, and told him of the survivors down in the depths of Aperture.

"You tell us where to send the trucks, and we'll be there." Grinned the captain, shaking Todd's hand.

Todd still wore his own mask for the sake of light, as did Thomas, for it was pitch dark in the field. "I told Dr. Anabelle the location, and you guys can start collecting them anytime. GLaDOS assured me they would be there."

"How did you get her to do that?" asked Anabelle.

Todd paused, and the captain, overjoyed, found himself interrupting. "Well, let's get you all on that bird and back to base. You need some chow and a good night's rest, I'm sure."

All of them made for the helicopter except for Todd.

Anabelle looked back. "Mr. Berkley, aren't you…?"

Todd shook his head. "The only way GLaDOS will let the rest go is if…I stay."

"Why?" She asked, bewildered.

"She says if she can break me, it'll top anything she can do with the other test subjects. Not very scientific, but, when she gets a vendetta…"

"How did this happen?"

"By the time I went back to release the other subjects, she was already back in control. I wasn't worried about us getting out, but she certainly wouldn't release the others."

Anabelle was heartbroken. Todd lifted his mask and smiled. He had a gaunt, angular face with a square jaw and narrow chin. Brown eyes and thick brown hair were apparent in the light of Thomas's mask.

"Just go, and save them as fast as you can. And when you're done, _don't_ come back for me. You'll only get lost. I'll be fine."

Thomas spoke. "Missy would be proud."

Todd thanked him and stepped back into the elevator. "Remember: be quick about it."

 _[Aperture Science days without incident: 0]_

Todd Berkley was tested to the farthest reaches of his limits. Since bidding farewell to the others, for forty-eight hours non-stop GLaDOS had put him through a rigorous battery of tests with no food, only water. Calculus was his aid. Almost continually during those hours, he prayed.

Meanwhile, Anabelle, Thomas, Smithfield, and Greg all returned to the survivors' base and began preparations to reclaim all of the other test subjects. Though they were ready the next day with convoys and transport ships, the evacuation took about a month before everyone was hauled off back to base. The effort could not proceed too quickly or too grandly, otherwise they risked Combine detection. Thomas and Anabelle led the extraction of test subjects from cryo, and Smithfield directed the convoys.

Todd started to blur the days together after about two weeks, and in the third week, he passed the final test: given the opportunity to escape, he chose to stay. He knew the evacuation was not complete. GLaDOS, confident that she had emptied Todd's mind and completely subjugated him, presented the escape opportunity, and gleefully watched him remain in Aperture.

After watching Atlas and P-Body defeat him in a testing chamber, she enjoyed it so much that it became a daily ritual. Never did she tire of watching him fail, and this continued for some time.

 _[Aperture Science days without incident: 45 days]_

One day after the ritual losing to Atlas and P-Body, Todd was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He wondered if the smash-panel would fall, and whether or not there remained in him energy enough to roll onto the floor. There wasn't. The door creaked open, and he barely had the will to turn his head to see Calculus staring back.

The core's eyes were green. The evacuation was over.

Todd prayed a prayer of thanks, and, the will to live having returned to him, he stood shakily, and removed his mask, resetting his vitals to prevent GLaDOS from tracking him; just as Thomas had shown him before he left. After doing something similar for Calculus, the two started off down the hall. The trek was slow and long, and Todd walked with a limp in his gait, and breathed shallow breaths with every step.

Finally, they reached a little out-of-the-way room marked '206B'.

Todd looked at Calculus. "Just like Drake said." And opened the door.

The room inside was gigantic, made mostly of concrete, and appeared to be a drydock of some kind. Down below, in the water, was a small fleet of boats. Descending the metal stairs with Calculus under his arm, he took to one of the small boats and checked the gas. Full. Just as Drake had said.

Drake, being connected with the Borealis project, had searched for any details on it during his free reign about Aperture, and though he did not find the ship itself, a number of small support vessels had been left in a smaller drydock close to the original, where the Borealis had disappeared. It would only be a simple drive to the surface from here.

Todd started the vessel and looked to Calculus with a nod of affirmation.

"Let's go find our friends."

 _[Aperture Science days without incident: 0 days]_


End file.
